need a good laugh?

 

Need a good laugh?  Join us tomorrow for a virtual comedy fundraiser with Fred Armisen, David Cross, Bobby Tisdale, and Jo Firestone! Donate any amount to RSVP. This our final fundraising event before the election. Can we count on you to contribute what you can and join for some laughs at DeSantis’s expense?  DONATE TO RSVP Looking forward to laughing with you.  - Team Crist

Paid for and approved by Charlie Crist, Democrat for Governor

Charlie Crist for Governor P.O. Box 1547 St. Petersburg, FL 33731 United States

sick to my stomach

 

I’ve been warning for months that DeSantis’s war on the LGBTQ community will not stop until we vote him out of office. But even I never imagined how far he would go to attack innocent Floridians. DeSantis’s Board of Education has passed new rules ordering that Florida teachers can now be FIRED for violating his ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. When I think of all the ways Gov. DeSantis’s policies have ruined Floridians’ lives, I feel sick to my stomach … … but I also feel even more determined to beat him this November. That’s why I’m asking grassroots Democrats like you to do everything you can to fight back at this critical moment. Make an Urgent Grassroots Donation In the name of building his national profile so he can run for president in 2024, Gov. DeSantis has: Signed the most restrictive anti-choice legislation in Florida’s history, which banned almost all abortions, with zero exceptions for horrific situations like rape or incest. Suspended a democratically elected State Attorney because he refused to enforce his draconian 15-week abortion ban — just like a dictator. Vowed to eliminate background checks and gun permits, putting our children and our families in even greater danger. Silenced the LGBTQ+ community with his vile “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Attacked corporations like Disney and organizations like the Special Olympics (yes, really) for opposing his far-right agenda. Suppressed the vote of communities of color through extreme gerrymandering. And those are just some of DeSantis’s authoritarian policies. I can’t possibly do this alone. Only together can we defeat DeSantis. Please give what you can! Thank you, Charlie Crist   DONATE

Paid for and approved by Charlie Crist, Democrat for Governor

Charlie Crist for Governor P.O. Box 1547 St. Petersburg, FL 33731 United States

National Review: “Crist is the best retail campaigner since Bill Clinton”

 

You know you're doing well when even the Republicans are forced to admit that you're dominating on the campaign trail.

“Crist is the best retail campaigner since Bill Clinton” - National Review

 

DONATE NOW

We already knew from the polls that DeSantis's numbers are plummeting while Charlie is surging ahead. But this amazing article confirms that even the Republicans are worried DeSantis might lose.

It shouldn't come as a surprise. DeSantis has spent the last 4 years forcing an extreme agenda on Florida that nobody wants. Now he's losing support by the day as voters get to know and love Charlie!

We've proven what we can do when the people are behind us. DeSantis's far-right donors have poured millions of dollars into his campaign and still have been unable to slow our grassroots momentum.

But to win this race, we need to be realistic. We're lucky to have a candidate as trusted and honest as Charlie. But none of that will matter if we can't reach enough voters before election day.

Please, can you chip in $6 right now to help power our voter outreach efforts, keep up with DeSantis's spending, and SURGE into the lead?

Thank you, Team Crist   DONATE

Paid for and approved by Charlie Crist, Democrat for Governor

Charlie Crist for Governor P.O. Box 1547 St. Petersburg, FL 33731 United States

POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden’s economic mission-in-progress

 

View in browser   BY BEN WHITE David Badders/POLITICO illustration POWELL RAINS ON KLAIN — Ron Klain arrived at work this morning, fired up his official White House chief of staff Twitter account and did something that would have been unthinkable just a month or so ago: He jammed out a bunch of happy tweets about the state of the economy. Mainly, Klain wanted to highlight the latest pretty good news on inflation, an issue that has crushed President Joe Biden’s approval rating and left Democrats mostly curled into crash positions, fearing an absolute beat down in the midterm elections. The newly released numbers showed the annual rate of inflation as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (wonkery of which we’ve written in this space before) dropping to a 6.3 percent pace in July from 6.8 percent in June. That’s still crazy high by historical standards and a pace not seen since the early 1980s. But at the moment, it’s the trend that matters. And we now have a fair amount of data suggesting inflation may finally — at long last and at great pain — have peaked. That wasn’t everything on Klain’s mind. He also noted positive developments on consumer sentiment, declining gas prices, personal income and spending. But Klain began it all with an important caveat: “A LOT of work left to do on the economy…” he wrote, before ticking off his list of positive trends replete with up and down arrow emojis. And it was certainly no accident he began that way. Because while many economic numbers are indeed showing improvement — prices actually DECLINED in July from June according to today’s report — most are still pretty crummy, and some are getting worse. Consumer and business sentiment remain low. New home sales are tanking and overall declines in house prices are likely ahead in certain markets as the Federal Reserve pushes up interest rates to fight inflation (more on that in just a moment). Consumers are still seeing price hikes outpace wage gains, making everyone feel poorer and angry. Gas under $4 per gallon will likely give Biden and Democrats a little lift in the polls. But pump prices are still higher than when the president took office. And the administration remains at the whim of Russia’s war on Ukraine re-jolting oil markets and shooting gas prices right back up. The White House would love nothing more than inking a global price cap on Russian oil along with other big-buyer nations. But such a deal remains highly elusive. In an email exchange with Nightly , Klain emphasized the caution that prefaced his tweet storm (which also included retweeting a bunch of positive news stories about the inflation report). “I regularly emphasize that there is more work to do, and that inflation is not where we want it to be,” Klain wrote. “These are NOT ‘mission accomplished’ tweets. But I do think the President deserves credit for the fact that we are making progress on his economic agenda.” Fair enough. And the dip in the pace of price hikes will take some of the sting off of criticism that the president’s student loan forgiveness effort is unfair and inflationary. But if things are so groovy … why did Wall Street crash today? The Dow tanked over 1,000 points, or 3 percent. The S&P also plunged 3 percent, and the tech-dominated Nasdaq swooned nearly 4 percent. Why, you ask? Because of Jerome Powell and the aforementioned Fed, that’s why. Stock market investors — and many Democrats — are deeply terrified that the Fed’s campaign of inflation-fighting rate hikes will tip an already wobbly economy into recession and drive up the unemployment rate. And Wall Street hoped that in his big speech today in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Powell would lean harder into a “dovish” message that the size and pace of rate hikes will soon slow. Yeah. He did not do that. Instead he pledged to keep hammering away with hikes until inflation sinks back way closer to the central bank’s goal of around 2 percent. Rates might stay high for a while and it could cause economic “pain,” Powell said. So while Klain and other Democrats could go into the weekend feeling a little bit better about their economic prospects, the mission is quite clearly not accomplished. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at bwhite@politico.com or on Twitter @morningmoneyben. Programming note: POLITICO Nightly won’t publish from Monday, Aug. 29, through Monday, Sept. 5. We’ll be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, Sept. 6.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     LATEST ON MAR-A-LAGO UNFOLDERED AND INTERMIXED — Federal investigators obtained a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month by pointing to a raft of highly classified material they’d already obtained from there, according to a legal affidavit unsealed today. Records obtained by the FBI from Trump’s Florida home in advance of the Aug. 8 search bore indications they contained human source intelligence, intercepts under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and signals intelligence, as well as other tags indicating high sensitivity. Several of those tightly controlled documents contained Trump’s “handwritten notes,” the partially redacted affidavit detailing the Justice Department investigation says. In those boxes, agents found 184 unique documents: 25 were marked “top secret,” 92 were marked “secret,” and 67 were marked “confidential” — the lowest level of national security classification. According to the affidavit, NARA officials found some of those “highly classified records were unfoldered, intermixed with other records, and otherwise unproperly [sic] identified.” Prosecutors also added in another court filing unsealed today that the ongoing criminal probe into government records stashed at Trump’s Florida home has involved “a significant number of civilian witnesses” whose safety could be jeopardized if their identities were revealed. Read more on the affidavit from Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, who both pored through the filings today. You can also read the full redacted, unsealed document. WHAT'D I MISS? — RNC fires national spokesperson: The Republican National Committee has fired Paris Dennard as its national spokesperson , according to two people familiar with the move. Dennard had been serving as a national spokesperson and director of Black media affairs for the committee. “Paris Dennard no longer works for the RNC. We don’t comment on personnel matters,” RNC chief of staff Mike Reed said in a statement. One person familiar with the firing said it took place earlier this week. Dennard did not respond to a request for comment. — Senate GOP super PAC cancels ad buys in Arizona, Alaska: The Senate Leadership Fund is canceling roughly $8 million in Arizona and Alaska ad reservations , raising questions about the party’s commitment to Blake Masters, its Senate nominee in the Copper State. In November, Masters will face Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who already enjoys a heavy financial advantage down the stretch. The super PAC’s move will exacerbate that Kelly edge as Republicans seek to net the one seat needed to take back Senate control. On the other hand, the decision to cut two weeks — or about $1.7 million in advertising — to boost Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is seen as a vote of confidence in her prospects. Rep. Charlie Crist stands with United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernández-Mats outside of the United Teachers of Dade offices, Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Miami Springs, Fla. | Lynne Sladky/AP Photo — Crist to pick Miami teachers union head as his running mate: Democrat Charlie Crist will pick Karla Hernández-Mats, the head of Miami-Dade County’s largest teachers union, as his running mate as he seeks to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis. Crist is expected to formally announce his pick during a Saturday rally in Miami that he’s holding to officially kick off his general election campaign, which will be an uphill battle. Crist’s pick ensures education will remain at the forefront of the race, especially since schools have been the main focus of DeSantis’ policy and political agenda. — Apple faces growing likelihood of DOJ antitrust suit: Justice Department lawyers are in the early stages of drafting a potential antitrust complaint against Apple , according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter — a sign that a long-running investigation may be nearing a decision point and a suit could be coming soon. The department’s antitrust division hopes to file suit by the end of the year, the individual said. Still, the department has made no decisions whether or when to sue Apple, the world’s most valuable public company, cautioned that person and one other familiar with the probe — and it’s still possible no case will be filed. — Defendants targeted in DeSantis’ voter fraud crackdown were told they could vote: Several people who were arrested last week as part of DeSantis’ voter fraud crackdown were notified by official government entities they were eligible to vote , according to court documents and interviews. The defendants told authorities they had no intention of committing voter fraud, according to affidavits, and in some cases were baffled by their arrests because counties had sent them voter registration cards and approved them to vote.   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     AROUND THE WORLD People receive iodine-containing tablets at a distribution point today in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. | Andriy Andriyenko/AP Photo TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT — Fears of a radiation leak led authorities to begin distributing iodine tablets today to residents near a nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia “amid mounting fears that the fighting around the complex could trigger a catastrophe,” The Associated Press’ Paul Byrne reports: “The move came a day after the plant was temporarily knocked offline because of what officials said was fire damage to a transmission line. The incident heightened dread of a nuclear disaster in a country still haunted by the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl. “Continued shelling was reported in the area overnight, and satellite images from Planet Labs showed fires burning around the complex — Europe’s biggest nuclear plant — over the last several days. “Iodine tablets, which help block the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland in a nuclear accident, were issued in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 45 kilometers (27 miles) from the plant.” NIGHTLY NUMBER 44 percent Biden’s job approval rating, according to an Aug. 1 to Aug. 23 Gallup poll. His rating is up six points from a record low in July, hitting his highest mark in a year. PARTING WORDS THE ICEMAN COMETH — Biden plans to establish a new ambassador-at-large position focused on the Arctic region , an area of growing geostrategic concern to the United States — as well as Russia and China. It was not immediately clear who the nominee for the role will be, but a State Department official familiar with the issue predicted a name would be submitted soon, writes Nahal Toosi. The Arctic is of growing interest to the United States and its top rivals in part because of climate change. Though the warming of the region could have cataclysmic effects on global sea levels, the reduction in ice has opened new shipping lanes and made possible opportunities for energy extraction. With its long Arctic coastline, Russia is putting its mark on the region, including by expanding its military presence. China has eyes on the territory, too, calling itself a “near-Arctic state” and seeking ways to expand its access for economic and other reasons. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Myah Ward @myahward Naomi Andu @naomiandu   FOLLOW US

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USA Today calls this a “red flag” for DeSantis

 

I have never felt more hopeful than I do now. Recent polling has us beating Governor DeSantis. This is some of the most up-to-date data available – and it shows that we’re winning. See for yourself: St. Pete Polls Charlie 45%, Gov. DeSantis 44% USA TODAY “DeSantis does not crack 50% against Crist … a red flag [for DeSantis]” Listener Group Charlie 50%, Gov. DeSantis 49% PITCH IN TO HELP CHARLIE DEFEAT GOV. DESANTIS! That’s right. I always believed that once Florida got to know the truth about Governor DeSantis’ record — and my love for the beautiful state of Florida — that we could win this race. Now with this latest polling, it’s clear we’re making it happen. But in a race this close, every vote counts. That’s why I’m hoping I can count on your support today. My campaign manager tells me we need 3,147 donations in the next 24 hours to stay on top of our benchmarks. This is essential to keep our momentum going. It’s because of your support that we pulled ahead in the primary election. And it’s only with your support that we’ll keep this lead going into the final months of the general election. Please, contribute a few dollars today so that our movement can keep growing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. - Charlie   DONATE       Paid for and approved by Charlie Crist, Democrat for Governor Charlie Crist for Governor P.O. Box 1547 St. Petersburg, FL 33731 United States

Straight talk

 

Here’s some straight talk from me: Gov. Ron DeSantis’s policies are dangerous and too extreme for Florida. 

He wants to weaken our gun laws, make it harder to legally vote, and ban all abortions — even in cases of rape and incest!

These policies won’t help regular Floridians. They’ll only benefit the rich donors who lobbied for them.

I’m giving my all to defeat DeSantis’s far-right policy agenda, but I can’t do it without you. So I’m coming to you with an urgent ask, Please donate before my team’s end-of-month deadline.

Once the month ends, everyone — from the national media to Gov. DeSantis himself — will be watching to see if we’ve got what it takes to defeat his right-wing policies. I know we’ve got what it takes, and the experts agree (!), but the amount of money we raise plays a huge part in winning the war of ideas. I know asking for money is tough, but unfortunately, it’s the only way we can compete with the big lobbyists. If you can, please make a quick contribution today so that we can stand up to right wing politicians like DeSantis and build a Florida for All. I appreciate your support! -- Charlie Crist        DONATE

Paid for by Friends of Charlie Crist

PO Box 1547 St. Petersburg, FL 33731 Friends of Charlie Crist is a statewide political committee to support Charlie Crist across Florida and to discuss Charlie Crist and other gubernatorial candidates and the issues they are debating. Friends of Charlie Crist may accept unlimited contributions. Foreign nationals, national banks, and corporations chartered by an act of Congress are prohibited from contributing. All funds are solicited, received, and spent in accordance with state law and federal law governing political committees maintained by state candidates.

DeSantis only cares about appealing to his far-right base

 

During the past four years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has shown that he isn’t interested in representing all Floridians — especially the majority who disagree with his extreme policies.

Ron is only interested in appealing to his far-right base.

If you’re as appalled by his self-serving extremism as we are, please pitch in $4 now. We need your support right now to advocate for our shared Florida values.

Ron DeSantis has spent his four years in office providing red meat to his far-right base, including:

• Silencing the LGBTQ+ community with his hateful “Don’t Say Gay” bill
• Attacking private corporations like Disney and organizations like the Special Olympics for opposing his far-right agenda
• Suppressing the vote of communities of color through extreme gerrymandering
• Refusing to investigate Florida-based hate groups involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection
• And now, he’s FIRED the rightfully elected Tampa state attorney for refusing to enforce his ban on abortions — even in cases of rape and incest!

Ron DeSantis will sign any law, issue any executive order, and support any policy if he thinks it’ll appeal to his base. But he won’t lift a finger to help the majority of Floridians who want our rights protected.

Floridians want a unifying vision and common-sense policies — not culture war nonsense.

If you’re with us, please pitch in anything you can now. Together, we can end Governor DeSantis’s divisive policies and restore common sense, opportunity, and decency to our state — for ALL Floridians.

Thank you Team Crist   DONATE

Paid for by Friends of Charlie Crist

PO Box 1547 St. Petersburg, FL 33731

Trump’s stolen doc lies ridiculed by his own aides

 

It's Our Democracy!

Today’s Action: Write NYC Mayor Adams and demand he close Rikers Island!

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Today's Top Stories:

18 ex-aides sell out Trump over stolen doc scandal
The disgraced ex-president's revisionist claim of a "standing order" to declassify any documents he removed from the White House was dismissed by no less than EIGHTEEN former administration officials as patently false, "ridiculous," "ludicrous," and "total bullsh*t."

Take Action: Tell Merrick Garland it’s time to indict Donald Trump!

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Beto O'Rourke flips Trump voters in stunning town hall appearance
The Texas gubernatorial hopeful is sharing his vision for a stronger, more just and equitable Texas, and even Republicans are starting to get on board.

Take Action: Tell Biden to take executive action to get dark money out of politics!

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Will Trump be barred from running in 2024?
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Wow...

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Judge creates path for releasing redacted affidavit from Mar-a-Lago raid
Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the Justice Department to put forward proposed redactions as he committed to making public at least part of the affidavit supporting the search warrant for Trump’s estate in Florida.

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Louisiana delays critical flood response funds to New Orleans over abortion politics
The state's theocratic Republican attorney general successfully urged the Louisiana Bond Commission to delay a $39 million future line of credit for the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board — critical funds used for flood response — until city officials agree to enforce the state’s draconian abortion ban.

Take Action: Tell the Senate to legalize marijuana and pass the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act!

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WAKE UP NEW YORK (NY-23) !
DON'T ELECT HATE & VIOLENCE!

House GOP candidate Carl Paladino suggests Merrick Garland should be "executed"
Paladino, an avowed white nationalist who STILL enjoys the support of the GOP establishment in his campaign for Congress, casually suggested during a radio interview that the sitting attorney general of the United States should be "executed" for signing off on the FBI's lawful efforts to recover classified documents illegally stored at Mar-a-Lago.

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CHARLIE CRIST IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA - PLEASE ELECT SOMEONE WITH A BRAIN!

Judge partially blocks Ron DeSantis' anti-"woke" law
A federal judge in Florida ruled that a law pushed by the state's autocrat-in-training governor restricting conversations around race in schools and the workplace is both "impermissibly vague" and unconstitutional.

Take Action: Stop DeSantis’ student censorship!

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Here's how we'll win back the Senate
OD Action Partner: Electing Tim Ryan and John Fetterman, champions of working-class Americans, will only happen by organizing in rural America. Join United Rural Democrats in fighting to flip the Senate with a contribution today.

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Mitch McConnell launches ad blitz to prop up JD Vance's failing MAGA Senate campaign in Ohio
A group aligned with the odious Senate Republican leader is buying a staggering $28 million worth of airtime to boost the charlatan Senate candidate's lagging campaign, signaling that Republicans are deeply worried about their efforts to retake the upper chamber in November. 

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Rudy Giuliani cooks up bonkers new excuse for Trump's hoard of classified docs
Giuliani trotted out a fantastical new line of defense for the disgraced ex-president's actions: He was protecting the sensitive documents by "putting them in a place that’s roughly as safe as they were in in the first place.” Heroic!

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Most abortions still illegal in Kentucky after state Supreme Court denies request for relief
Kentuckians will vote this November on an amendment to the state constitution seeking to clarify there is no right to abortion access. Primary voters rejected a similar amendment in Kansas in their primary election earlier this month. We've got work to do in the Bluegrass State, folks.

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Dr. Oz provides pathetic response to viral crudité video after John Fetterman fundraises off it
The now-infamous clip exposed the MAGA carpetbagger as completely out of touch with average Pennsylvanians, and his efforts at damage control have just made things even worse.

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Ain't that America?

Pennsylvania man charged with buying, selling human remains on Facebook

Three men charged in murder of mob boss "Whitey" Bulger

Part of a foot, in a shoe, spotted in Yellowstone hot spring

Cops in Georgia warn of bus stop rapist who poses as a priest

The Daily Planet

Police call for Bolsonaro to be charged for COVID-19 misinfo

Estonia officially bans Russian tourists from entering country

Somalis mourn death of great poet Hadraawi

Mali accuses France of sending weapons to militants

Climate change: "Staggering" rate of global tree losses from fires

Hope...

GoodGoodGood: Acrobats using parkour to fight light pollution

Strippers at LA strip club move to unionize

Greenland permanently bans all oil and gas exploration

4 strategies to boost your immunity this winter

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Today’s Action: Write NYC Mayor Adams and demand he close Rikers Island!

This past week, yet another inmate died in custody at New York City’s infamous Rikers Island detention center — the 12th such incident this year. The apparent shower suicide of a 68-year-old detainee clearly should never have happened — inmates admitted for serious crimes are ostensibly placed on suicide watch, for obvious reasons. Instead, another inmate fell through the troubled facility’s proverbial cracks amidst chronic complaints of overcrowding and dismal living conditions.

The 2022 death toll at Rikers Island has already surpassed last year’s previous record for in-custody deaths, and there’s still four months left in the year. The detention center is plagued with a host of well-documented problems, including crumbling infrastructure, rampant sexual assaults, cruel mistreatment of mentally ill inmates, and, of course, deadly violence. Lawmakers who toured the facility in late 2021 said “it [was] filthy and inhumane, with overflowing toilets and floors covered in dead cockroaches, feces, and rotting food.” Inmates indicated they felt like they were being treated like slaves or animals.

Corrections officers are overworked, the facilities are understaffed, and conditions are only worsening. It’s well past time for Rikers Island to close.

Write NYC Mayor Adams and demand he prevent further violence and loss of life by closing Rikers Island for good!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition stopping Ron DeSantis' absurd plan to fill schools with unqualified teachers, and be sure to follow OD Action on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

                                    @advocacy | 1002 Hull St., Louisville, KY 40204